twang twang twang - MUNICH

footwork

I don't expect composers to spend every waking moment studying the harp.  But for heaven's sake, I have been given a trio for a composers' workshop that has 8 pedal changes in 4 beats, most of which have to be done with the same foot.  It isn't a brief moment of forgetfulness, practically every bloody bar is like this.

Look, composers.  This is how the pedals work.  The left foot does D, C and B.  The right foot does E, F, G and A.  It is possible to play the E and F pedals with the left foot, but it is much harder to play any of the left foot pedals with the right, because the harp is on the right shoulder, and it makes it very difficult to stretch the right leg over to the left.  E + G, F or A together are the best pedal-that-should-be-a-right-footer-but-can-be-done-with-the-left.  F + any of the others is possible but difficult.  It is not possible to move more than two pedals together with the same foot, unless your name is Park Stickney, or you wear size 12 shoes.

It's fair enough to say, if something is possible, its difficulty is the player's problem.  But even if your harpist moves all her pedals perfectly, the other effect of a lot of pedals is it necessarily leads to a lot of damping.  If you play a 4th octave F natural, followed quickly by a higher F sharp, and it isn't possible to play the F sharp as a G flat because you have written in a G natural somewhere as well, the harpist must damp the first F string to avoid hearing the pedal change. 

If you want the sound cut off all the time, that's up to you, although Harrison Birtwistle's new solo work might convince you otherwise (TwTwTw will give the UK premiere at the Cheltenham Festival on July 7th). 

While I remember, I might as well also point out that extreme registers together - the LH playing the deepest bass while the RH tinkles feebly right up at the top, almost always sound naff as well. 

So there. 

"I am not working to get many 'fans' for myself;  I do not want to convince, I want to find.  I would like to find people who in the depths of their souls feel the same way as I do.  That can only be achieved through the greatest artistic sincerity in every detail of music, from the minutest technical aspects to the most secret depths.  I know that this standpoint deprives me of many potential listeners, but those who remain mean an immeasurable treasure for me.  They are the people who are closest to me, even if I do not know them personally.  I regard creative activity as a kind of soul-fishing, and the 'catch' is the best medicine for loneliness, that most human of sufferings."

Witold Lutoslawski

juicy tube

Dorian Lynskey has plotted the last 100 years of music on the tube map.  By relating its multfarious musical connections to what Lynskey desribes as "the elegance and logic of Harry Beck's design" it "appeal[s] to the brain's innate desire for patterning and structure." This has already prompted some debate at Guardianonline, such as:  "The most stereotypically self-indulgent Guardian wank I can think of, bordering on self parody...And where are the Arctic Monkeys, anyway...?"

Telling it is that classical music's been relegated to the DLR, although in my experience, the DLR runs better than the circle line.  Anyway, tomorrow I have a 12.30 call and then have to sit around for the evening concert, so I will have a go at similarly mapping underground harp politics.

Unlike this map, though, mine will have to be top secret. 

no clothes!

It's unhealthy to be too precious about the work one takes on, but even playing-my-heart-will-go-on-accompanied-by-bagpipes-outside-a-toilet TwTwTw's eyebrows shot up quizzically last night.  I was offered fifty quid to turn up to a gig off the Charing Cross Road and tune two small harps for the band.  Not play.  Tune.  The cashmere-jumpered manager told me the actual harpist wasn't very good at it, although given that she'd had 16 years of harp lessons, and possessed an electronic tuner that not only flashed lights but also beeped reassuringly once the note was in tune, I reckon it was more like a harpy aspiration towards mega guitarists who have technicians. 

Well, I wasn't doing anything, and fifty quid to go to the pub and see a gig sounded all right, and this band are signed to a major label.  So I put on my converse trainers and slouched cool roadiness all the way to Soho.

I shoulda known, when pop people tell you "please tune the harps for a soundcheck at 6.30", that doesn't mean "turn up at 6, to have tuned 2 harps by 6.30".  No-one showed up until 6.45.  While waiting, I ordered a glass of rose at the bar.

"We've only got one wine, luv" said the barmaid, "and it's red."

Despite the obvious Classical Idiot sitting in their midst, all the crew were lovely to me.  The venue (a well-established one) had a great atmosphere and I was chatting happily to the sound guy when my band showed up.  The harpist produced a couple of crap lap harps. 

'Are you familiar with lever harps?', she asked.  I was able to perceive that one of her instruments had been built with tuning pins on the wrong side, a clue this might cause intonation problems even if you hadn't had 16 years of lessons.  If your harp goes out of tune every time you change a lever, instead of employing a serf to retune your instrument in between every song, you could save up those £50s and buy a harp that works.

All this palaver preceeded a bland I'm Rich And White And Went To A Posh School set, surrounded by their rich, white, etc friends (some of whom were cool enough to bray words like f*** and c*** while I was tuning up).  The guys who were on before them were rather good.  They should have had the second slot, but the harp rockers have a rich dad.

If I worked in A&R I would get so pissed off with this sort of thing. 

doh!

Just HOW STUPID is it possible to be?  Witness me today buying some piano music as a present for my dad:

H:  "well, I could get him the Valses Poeticos.  But I play that on the harp, so I'll buy the Danzas Espanolas and photocopy my music for him as well, so he has two pieces."

This, delivered in ringing tones in the Boosey and Hawkes shop!

Felt so ashamed, I forked out for a whole big volume of Albeniz as well - and no, I didn't copy the Valses Poeticos.